Jodi Schmidt

Jodi Schmidt grew up in beautiful St. Cloud.  Jodi is warm and open; she seems to always have a smile on her face.   Jodi connects with others easily.  You immediately feel comforted in her presence.  Her kindness shines through her life every day and that is her greatest gift.  Jodi is an elementary school teacher and an organ donor.  Jodi’s approach to life is very hands-on.  For example, she is not afraid to use power tools and has built her own outdoor swing.  In addition to building things, Jodi loves gardening and spending time with her entire family.  She really enjoys canning tomatoes.

Jodi leads with compassion and generosity.  As a teacher, Jodi guides her students intellectually, socially and emotionally.  A highlight in Jodi’s classroom is her Pajama Project.  Instead of candies and cards, Jodi’s students bring in pajamas on Valentine’s Day.  The whole class then donates the pajamas to Social Services in Fond du Lac.  Jodi cares deeply about helping each child.  When one of her students needed a new kidney, Jodi did not hesitate to find a practical solution.  True to herself, she decided to become an organ donor to save the girl’s life.  She credits her own faith with moving her to this decision.  Jodi trust her intuition and acts when it feels right.  Jodi also says she thought repeatedly about the connectedness of all human beings.  It was this realization that further strengthened her in donating her kidney.

Jodi is a loving mother of three children.  Being a mother contributed to her decision to donate her kidney.  She believes that taking that step, she will help contribute to a better and kinder world for her children and everyone else.  Jodi hopes to be a college professor one day.  She would love to pass on her passion for teaching to the next generation.  Jodi enthusiastically advocates in favor of organ donation and hopes that her story will inspire others to become organ donors themselves.  Jodi encourages everyone to shape their own future.  According to Jodi, we should keep trying and keep going even when the road is crooked or bumpy.

- Written by Juliane Troicki of Illuminating Project